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GTA: San Andreas - First Impressions

Like hip-hop gangsters, our fearless editors take a look at San Andreas, giving us their first impressions about the game.

Matt Chandronait - Resident Artist

I don't know how Rockstar gets the "flava" so perfectly in these GTA games, but it's the best yet in San Andreas. I thought Vice City had it mastered -- by the end of that game, I felt like I truly owned that town -- and then along comes San Andreas. In just the short time I've had with it I can already feel a level of immersion that the other games just couldn't touch. It feels almost like an RPG at times; an epic, anti-hero quest to first dominate and destroy the enemy and then to build an empire on his ruins.

The way in which your physique, haircut, clothes, and "bling" affect the world around you only services to increase the involvement of the character and story with the player. Yes, Vice City had a terrific cast and storyline to get involved with, but this game feels like you are involved in the writing and living of an extremely long movie script. The sheer size of the San Andreas world is almost mind-blowing. The fact that it can be so insanely huge and still feel so deep is beyond cool. But, jeeze, couldn't the game have a "Replay Last Mission" menu option? I just assumed that after THUG came out, the GTA series would pick up on that like Raymond picks up on the white girls. After three incarnations of this evolutionary stage in the series, that's still the most annoying part of the game.

Ryan O'Donnell - Movie Magician

I was never a huge Grand Theft Auto fan, though I have tried to enjoy each of the games in the series as they've been released. But I've found that the mission structure, clunky controls, and the games' general unpolished nature always left me frustrated. And yet, I couldn't help but get a bit excited by San Andreas in the months leading up to its completion. Now, after having played the game, I actually feel quite fortunate to have spent as little time as I have with previous incarnations; To me, it's absolutely clear that the latest is also most definitely the finest in the series.

I must admit that I find the early 1990's theme to be more appealing than the content in either Vice City or Grand Theft Auto III. As such, the soundtrack and locale were almost enough to make me change my feelings about the series prior to having played the game. And, while Rockstar has definitely delivered in this regard, it's the grand scope of San Andreas that is really most appealing. There's just so much to do and so much land to cover -- much more than even any prior game in the series had to offer -- that there's literally something for everyone to enjoy here. That is, of course unless you've got a problem with excessive amounts of swearing and violence. In which case, leave this one alone. There's enough colorful language in San Andreas to make even the most jaded pre-teen exclaim, "Whoa. Dude!"

And yeah, the controls have been cleaned up a bit. The game looks better than it ever has on PS2 before, and while I still loathe some of the choices Rockstar makes concerning the mission structure, I've been greatly enjoying my San Andreas experience. But, come on fellas. Why not add a "Replay Last Mission" item in the pause menu, huh?